Sleeping with Red Light
Rest and sleep between activities are important to help support healthy and active participation and engagement within individuals’ meaningful activities (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2020).
Inadequate sleep is a common global issue that impacts people's health and well-being. Lack of sleep can negatively affect cognitive performance such as alertness, memory, and learning (Ho & Siu, 2018).
One way to help with your child’s sleep quality is to simply change the light in the room at night to red!
Our bodies run on an internal clock called the circadian rhythm which is a system that creates our sleep-wake cycle (Lively Living, n.d.). The red light helps with regulating the sleep-wake cycle through the neurons within the retina layer of our eyes or also known as intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) (Pan et. al., 2023). These neurons are least sensitive to the red light in which indicates the disruption in the sleep-wake cycle is least likely to occur (Pan et. al., 2023). In addition, the exposure of the red light aids in producing melatonin also known as the “sleep hormone” (Lively Living, n.d.). As your body is exposed to darkness, the process of producing melatonin begins as it helps indicate that it is time for bed (Lively Living n.d.). With the use a soft, dim red light, it can be a crucial part of a bedtime routine as it supports melatonin production to signal when it is time to wind-down in comparison to blue or white lights can restrain melatonin (Hatch, 2023; Lively Living, 2023).
FACT!
A study done through Oxford University found that little ones who have been exposed to a dim red light went to sleep 15% faster when compared to those using a standard light (Lively Living, n.d.).
Lights to Avoid
Blue, green and white are several different colored lights that can be harmful to sleep quality and are not recommended for night time. These colors fall within the same spectrum as daylight, tricking the body into thinking it is daytime (Lively Living, n.d.). Blue light is common within our technologies we used daily but can delay the time of you or your child’s sleep up to 3 hours when being exposed to it at night (Lively Living, n.d.). A recommended time frame to eliminate bright light is 2 to 3 hours prior to going to bed (Harvard Medical School, 2020).
Red Light Products Recommended for Sleep
The Hatch Rest 2nd Gen is one of the popular products used for multiple purposes such as a night light, create a time-to-rise setting to indicate your child of when to get up in the morning, produces white noises and displays a digital clock. This product is a great tool to help with creating healthy sleeping habits for your little ones as it can reduce the anxiety of darkness and reduce the disruption of their sleep. Hatch can also be used for moms getting up the middle of night to check in on their kids as well as feeding and changing diapers.
The Momcozy has similar features to the Hatch as it comes with adjustable luminous lamp, a sound machine, and can be connected to your phone to adjust the volume of the white noise as well as brightness and colors of the light. This product is beneficial to use as it can help enhance sleep quality, establish a sleep routine, reduce background noises and be used to feed or change your child’s diapers in the middle of the night.
Sleep Aid Red Night Light Plug is a 2-pack wall mount set that can be used to luminate more than one bedroom. This LED red light as several features such as sensing the natural light from dawn to dusk, comes with a switch of ON-AUTO-OFF at the bottom and does not cover up the other outlet. This emits enough light to make it comfortable to fall asleep and to help make it safe getting in and out of bed.
The Dimmable Red Night Light is a 2 pack plug that is another great product to use for nighttime. The control method is by touch and comes with three different dimmable levels between low, medium and high. This one also has a sensor between dawn to dusk lighting. It can serve multiple different purposes such as helping to fall asleep at night, safely navigate around the room at night to use the restroom, or used to luminate the room for nursing and changing your child’s diaper.
References
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2020). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process (4th ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(Suppl. 2), 1-87. https://doi. org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S2001
Baby sound machine, momcozy white noise machine for baby sleeping with night light, toddler sleep trainer with 34 soothing sounds, timer, app remote control, personal sleep routine (blue) : health & household. Amazon (n.d.). https://www.amazon.com/Machine-Momcozy-Sleeping-Soothing-Personal/dp/B099RSXLGH
Harvard Medical School. (2020). Blue light has a dark side. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side#:~:text=Protect%20yourself%20from%20blue%20light%20at%20night&text=Avoid%20looking%20at%20bright%20screens,blue%2Fgreen%20wavelength%20at%20night.
Hatch rest baby sound machine, night light | 2nd gen | sleep trainer, time-to-rise alarm clock, white noise soother, music & stories for nursery, toddler & kids bedroom (wi-fi) : baby. Amazon. (n.d.). https://www.amazon.com/Hatch-Rest-Night-Light-WiFi/dp/B08QVG9759
Hatch. (2023). Harnessing the power of light for restful sleep and a better bedtime routine. Hatch. https://www.hatch.co/blog/light-for-a-better-sleep-routine
Ho, E. C. M., & Siu, A. M. H. (2018). Occupational therapy practice in sleep management: A review of conceptual models and research evidence. Occupational Therapy International, 2018(1), 8637498. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/8637498
Lively Living. (n.d.). Red night light benefits for children’s restful sleep. Lively Living. https://livelyliving.com.au/blogs/blog/red-night-light-benefits-for-childrens-restful-sleep
Pan, R., Zhang, G., Deng, F., Lin, W., & Pan, J. (2023). Effects of red light on sleep and mood in healthy subjects and individuals with insomnia disorder. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1200350. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1200350
Sleep aid red night light plug in with dusk to dawn auto sensor, low blue led promotes melatonin production and healthy sleep, on-off-auto toggle, 2-pack : Health & household. Amazon. (n.d.). https://www.amazon.com/Bedroom-Promotes-melatonin-Production-Off-Auto/dp/B07C2PWB2R
YUNLEX 2 pack plug in Dimmable night light, auto dusk to dawn sensor, led night light, soft glow, Amber Night Light for bathroom, hallway, stairs, kitchen, bedroom, garage - amazon.com. Amazon. (n.d.). https://www.amazon.com/YUNLEX-Dimmable-Nightlight-Bathroom-Hallway/dp/B0B1C8Q5Z2